#very fun although much fewer pictures than the post 2000s
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wigglesforonce · 1 year ago
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continueing my spreadsheet research from yesterday, but pre 2000s edition (which means much harder info to find rip)
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micheal schumacher standing in the middle of some grass (??), 1998 spanish gp
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beautiful photo of a williams apparently (i didnt know they ran a red livery), 1998 monaco gp
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i think ive seen this situation before, 1998 monaco gp
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mika hakkinen doing.. something, 1998 spanish gp
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corinna schumacher being a darling, 1998 german gp
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beautiful picture of a pitstop, 1999 malaysian gp
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damon hill (wearing a white plastic overall for somerason?) on a dodgem, 1999 british gp
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a baby jenson button spotted, 1999 post season barcelona testing
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the fashion legend himself michael schumacher, 1999 australian gp
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its very weird seeing merc and and rbr on the same car, 1999 sauber illustration
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ztafraternity · 6 years ago
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Archives: A funny thing happened on the way to Convention
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By Patti Cords Levitte, Archivist, and Susan Beard, Archives Committee Chairman
Zeta Tau Alpha has hosted Convention in a wide range of locales—twice on an island, twice in another country, and on both the Atlantic and Pacific seashores. Convention has been interrupted by tornadoes and well-meaning men’s fraternities. In the past, Convention was truly an adventure, and getting there was half the fun.
The process of getting to Convention these days is dramatically different from what it once was. Convention 2018 attendees will most likely take a flight lasting no more than a few hours to get to Orlando, Florida. Before they arrive, they will have a schedule of events and know from social media and the Convention blog what to expect. It’s hard to picture today, but going to a ZTA Convention in the past meant a very long journey and a lot of mystery about what was going to happen there.
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Pictured: Alumnae waited to board the “Zeta Special” train from Chicago to Pasadena, California, for Convention 1935.
Prior to the advent of air travel, getting to Convention required a significant chunk of one’s summer vacation. Daring sisters would drive, which, before the national highway system existed, could be very dangerous, but most opted to take the train, which entailed a week of travel just to get there and a week to get back. Zetas had to set aside close to three weeks in the summer to be able to attend. Since there were fewer Zetas with fulltime jobs then, it was less of a sacrifice than it would be for a member to try to take three weeks off from work today. ZTA often chartered trains for the most direct route to Convention. Many of our “Zeta Specials” originated in Chicago—sisters would take whatever train got them to Chicago’s Union Station, then board a reserved train full of Zetas to make the final leg of the journey. Most train trips took three to five days, so the Convention trains included a huge, extended slumber party on wheels and sightseeing with new friends. Packing for the trip required a lot of specialized luggage, like hat boxes and trunks for formal gowns, but there were no limits for carry-on bags then, so every delegate had a mountain of personal baggage.
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Pictured: Zetas arrived at the dock on Mackinac Island, Michigan, for Convention 1950.
ZTA also offered post-Convention trips for those who wanted to extend sisterhood fun. In the 1920s, going on a ZTA-sponsored trip to Europe after Convention was popular; in the 1930s, Alaska and Canada were hot spots; and in the 1950s, Zetas extended their vacations on cruises or in major cities near the Convention sites. We had two Conventions on Mackinac Island, Michigan—one in 1939 and one in 1950—which required boat trips. Convention 1928 was held in northern Ontario, Canada. Instructions for those brave enough to drive there were printed in Themis  (pictured below). Imagine trying to get there with that kind of information and no GPS. Convention 1960 was in Quebec, Canada, where most of the city only spoke French at that time.
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Pictured: Detailed instructions on how to drive to the location for Convention 1928 warned members to watch out for bears.
In addition to the difficulties of travel in earlier years, our Conventions were also much less structured, and there were often a lot of unexpected  surprises for attendees. One of our very first Conventions, in Galveston, Texas, in 1910, turned into more of a house party than a formal meeting. Dr. May Agnes Hopkins, our Grand President at the time, was in her last year of medical school at The University of Texas at Austin, and she was the only female “brother” of UT’s Alpha Kappa Kappa medical fraternity. Thinking it would be a great surprise for her, her AKK brothers drove to Galveston and turned our Convention into a week of beach parties, boat rides and car trips. Needless to say, not much ZTA business was conducted. After that, rules that only Zetas could participate in business meetings and guests had to be registered were put in place.
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Pictured: Zetas and a group of fraternity men enjoyed many car trips during Convention 1910 in Galveston, Texas.
We had some odd Convention traditions that disappeared over time. In 1930, Grand Chapter thought it would be fun to have a bathing beauty contest, like the early Miss America pageants. No talent was necessary, just a cute swimsuit. The delegates that participated were voted on by other hotel guests at the West Baden Hotel in French Lick, Indiana, and one was crowned “Miss Zeta.” Over time, this evolved to become the Province Parade, in which delegates wore costumes that best represented their Provinces or schools. By the 1950s, the winner received a trophy proclaiming her to be “Miss Zeta” for the biennium. This competition went out of favor by the 1960s, when feminism was becoming a topic on college campuses, and evening events turned toward celebrating chapter achievements instead of individual talents. We also had swim meets, where all the collegiate delegates competed, and for decades, men were invited from military academies and men’s colleges to attend a formal dance. Skit nights, with elaborate song and dance routines created to entertain sisters, were also a large part of Convention into the early 2000s. In 2006, recognizing that members have extremely busy lives, Convention was shortened by one day, and smaller events throughout the course of Convention replaced “Fun Night.”
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Pictured: A banquet at Convention 1923.
Today, Convention continues to be fun, full of tradition and focused on the achievements of our chapters and Fraternity. Although our time together is shorter than it was years ago, we make the most of every minute at Convention, whether it is in a voting session, meeting, poolside sisterhood event or meal. Attendees come away with lasting memories, inspired and motivated to be better leaders and sisters.
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